western ghats news
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Green activists protest Karnataka government’s plan to divert Mahadayi river
Environmentalists from Belagavi district held a protest march in the city on Tuesday to demand the scrapping of the river diversion project being planned by the state government
Published on Jun 04, 2025 08:04 AM IST
Gerard de Souza, Panaji
IMD warns of intense rainfall over next 3 days, red alert issued in 6 districts
In the coastal districts of Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, and Udupi, a government-imposed fishing ban has come into force from June 1
Published on Jun 02, 2025 07:18 AM IST
Butterflies flutter through Bengaluru during annual migration, residents in awe
Swarms of blue tiger butterflies enchanted Bengaluru this week, with residents sharing videos of the colorful migration on social media.
Published on May 15, 2025 12:15 PM IST
Anagha Deshpande
ICAR-NBFGR discovers two new species of Rohu
Lucknow's ICAR-NBFGR has identified two new Rohu species, Labeo uru and Labeo chekida, resolving a 150-year-old confusion with Labeo nigrescens.
Updated on Apr 23, 2025 09:16 PM IST
HT Correspondent, Lucknow
44.15% of Goa’s forest cover ‘very highly susceptible’ to fires: Study
The study published in the Journal of Environmental Management in March concluded that open and moderately dense forests were highly susceptible to forest fires
Updated on Apr 14, 2025 02:28 PM IST
Gerard de Souza
Karnataka farmers join Goa activists against diversion of Mhadei river water
As part of the project, the state government plans to divert waters of the Mhadei river (Mahadayi in Karnataka) that flows into Goa to the east-flowing Malaprabha river, a tributary of the Krishna.
Published on Apr 11, 2025 08:26 AM IST
Gerard de Souza, Panaji
Panel rejects proposal to lift abeyance on forest land for Goa rail project
The approval for the project in April 2020 triggered protests in Goa with residents fearing it would pave the way for additional coal transportation to Karnataka’s steel plants
Published on Mar 06, 2025 02:02 PM IST
Gerard de Souza
Scientists discover new species of cricket frog in Western Ghats
The new species has been named ‘Minervarya Ghatiborealis’ and a research paper on the same has been published on February 27 in the international journal Zootaxa published from New Zealand.
Published on Mar 01, 2025 07:06 AM IST
Researchers find two new species of dragonflies in Western Ghat
Researchers from Maharashtra and Kerala have discovered two new dragonfly species in the Western Ghats, highlighting the need for habitat conservation.
Published on Feb 16, 2025 06:24 AM IST
IISER study highlights significance of hill slopes in maintaining green cover in Western Ghats
A new study by IISER highlights that hill slopes in Western Ghats highly threatened by encroachments are playing crucial role in maintaining the green cover in the region
Published on Feb 05, 2025 09:20 AM IST
Flower ranger: Meet the self-taught orchid whisperer of Wayanad
VU Sabu is on a mission to conserve vulnerable orchids of the Western Ghats. He's a good example, conservationists say, of how one person can make a difference.
Updated on Jan 04, 2025 02:58 PM IST
Natasha Rego
Ecostani: Western Ghats, hill states lose forest; growth outside reserved forest
Forest laws have been diluted over the years resulting in loss of forest, especially the very dense and moderate forest areas.
Updated on Dec 23, 2024 02:59 PM IST
Western Ghats lost 58.22 sq km of forest cover in ten years: SOFR
The India State of Forest Report has been brought out by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) on a biennial basis since 1987
Updated on Dec 22, 2024 05:26 AM IST
At pre-budget meet, Goa seeks ₹1,000 crore for climate change resistant infra
Goa chief minister also requested additional funds for the protection of khazans at the pre-budget consultation meeting chaired by Nirmala Sitharaman
Updated on Dec 23, 2024 06:16 PM IST
Gerard de Souza
Search for missing trekker uncovers two skeletons near Harishchandra Fort
Rescuers searching for a missing trekker at Harishchandra Fort found two skeletons, identified as Rohit Salunke and Ganesh Honrao, raising safety concerns
Updated on Dec 17, 2024 08:17 AM IST
Anamika Gharat
Madhav Gadgil wins UN’s highest green award
Madhav Gadgil, a veteran ecologist, has been named a 2024 'Champion of the Earth' by UNEP for his lifetime achievements in environmental protection.
Updated on Dec 11, 2024 06:06 AM IST
Jayashree Nandi, New Delhi
Gowda’s death blow to Maoist movt: Experts
Once a significant presence in Karnataka’s Western Ghats, the Maoist movement has seen its influence wane in the recent years
Updated on Nov 22, 2024 03:00 AM IST
Villagers say Vikram Gowda was once a good-natured and peaceful person
Gowda, the leader of the Naxal Netravati Dal, has been implicated in over 20 criminal cases related to Maoist activities, including violent incidents in the Western Ghats and coastal regions of Karnataka.
Updated on Nov 20, 2024 06:54 AM IST
DK Shivakumar refutes reports of govt imposing 'green cess' on water bills
"There is no such proposal (of green cess on water bills). It is all bogus news the BJP is trying to create," DK Shivakumar told reporters on Thursday.
Published on Nov 14, 2024 04:27 PM IST
ANI | | Posted by HT News Desk
A root awakening: The short film Murmurs of the Jungle is not to be missed
In a misty hamlet in the Western Ghats, stories of trees, humans and gods seep into each other, as a National Award-winning short zooms into a dying way of life
Updated on Nov 08, 2024 09:10 PM IST
Natasha Rego
Once bitten, Kerala not shy to eye tunnel via Western Ghats
Despite a deadly landslide in Wayanad, Kerala's government plans to build a controversial tunnel, raising environmental concerns.
Updated on Oct 31, 2024 03:00 AM IST
Vishnu Varma, Kochi
Six states traversed by Western Ghats not ready to propose ESAs
The Union environment ministry proposed in July that notification of ESAs in the six Western Ghats states could be done in a phased manner, state by state.
Updated on Oct 16, 2024 06:18 AM IST
Jayashree Nandi
60-day period to submit suggestions on Western Ghats ESA draft ends
The 60 day time period to submit objections/suggestions to the draft Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) notification came to an end on Monday.
Updated on Oct 01, 2024 06:06 AM IST
Jayashree Nandi, New Delhi
Two Goa villages seek inclusion in Western Ghats ESA category
The villages of Poinguinim and Loliem have written to the Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change seeking their inclusion in the Ecologically Sensitive Zones of the Western Ghats.
Updated on Oct 01, 2024 06:04 AM IST
Gerard de Souza, Panaji
Forest department to conserve natural heritage in Junnar
With huge biodiversity, areas including the Hirve Plateau, Durgawadi, Ambehatweej and Sukalvedhe hold great significance and natural heritage
Updated on Sep 23, 2024 06:18 AM IST
Plan to improve road through Western Ghats deferred due to eco concerns
The Uran-Panvel-Karjat-Vandre-Shrigaon-Mandoshi-Bhimashankar-Vada-Khed-Shirur Road could potentially cause extensive damage to the Western Ghats
Published on Aug 26, 2024 12:48 PM IST
At 2,515 villages, Maharashtra’s eco-sensitive area up 17%; 333 hamlets in MMR
The number of eco-sensitive villages in Maharashtra as per the earlier draft notification, published in 2022, was 2,133. This has now gone up by 382
Updated on Aug 07, 2024 08:56 AM IST
Thousands of stone quarries in Kerala are adding to environmental woes
Study reports have confirmed that the state has 5924 functioning stone quarries, but only 529 have obtained permission from the state's mining department.
NGT asks MoEFCC to finalise deadline for declaring western ghats an eco-sensitive zone
The western ghats are the second most landslide-prone region of the country after the Himalayas. Absence of eco-sensitive zone cover for the western ghats has resulted in the continuation of environmentally hazardous human activities
Updated on Aug 02, 2024 07:56 AM IST
Grisly Wayanad toll: 190 bodies, 100 body parts; hunt continues
CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also visited the disaster-hit region
Updated on Aug 02, 2024 06:20 AM IST